FEMA failed to respond timely to hurricane victims with their injury claims who were housed in toxic trailers.

New Orleans, LA–Louisiana toxic tort lawyers, involved in Hurricane Katrina relief efforts and personal injury claims, may finally have the long awaited proof they need to help thousands of Gulf Coast victims who have been and still are housed in trailers provided by the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) http:www.fema.gov. The United States Department of Homeland Security (DOH) http://www.doh.gov, the federal agency charged with the division of FEMA, released a 79 page report on last Thursday, July 23, 2009. The first detailed research, by Homeland Security about the presence of formaldehyde in temporary housing trailers for Katrina victims, claims FEMA didn’t respond quickly to the repeated reports of harmful toxins in the trailers by the suffering hurricane victims “temporarily” housed in the structures, as reported by the USA Today.

Innocent victims, who were severely damaged by the catastrophic category 5 hurricane, in 2005, that devastated the city of New Orleans and the many other areas in the states of Louisiana and Mississippi, began reporting physical symptoms and ailments. Residents of the formaldehyde laden trailers complained of bloody noses, blackouts, headaches and other more severe problems after moving into the temporary housing trailers provided by the federal government. Homeland Security’s report states FEMA did not respond to the harmful affects, the high levels of formaldehyde was having on the trailer residents. FEMA didn’t announce the findings of the high levels of formaldehyde present in the trailers for more than two years after Katrina victims were placed in the temporary housing structures. FEMA officials released their report in February 2008.

Last month there was still a reportedly high number of victims still living in the “temporary” housing trailers along the Gulf Coast. Of the initial 134,000 victims originally housed in the toxic government trailers after Katrina, in 2005, close to 3,000 storm victims still remain living in the FEMA trailers. According to Wikipedia, http://www.wikipedia.org formaldehyde causes cancer in humans and is classified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) http://www.epa.org as a “probable human carcinogen” with sufficient evidence that occupational exposure to formaldehyde causes nasopharyngeal cancer in workers. Residents and victims who have suffered damages and injuries because of exposure to toxic substances you may be entitled to compensation. Contacting a personal injury attorney experienced in lawsuits against the government and corporate wrong doers may help you recover.

Heather L. Ryan, R.N., C.L.N.C- Heather Ryan is a Certified Legal Nurse Consultant with 15 years of experience in the health care industry. Her expertise in reviewing medical records and assisting lawyers with the determination as to whether legal action should be taken provides an invaluable asset to the newsroom. Medical-malpractice, products liability, personal injury and workers’ compensation are some of the recent areas of litigation Ms. Ryan has focused her efforts on. A member of the Florida Justice Association, Heather maintains a long list of certifications and credentials to support her areas of expertise and stays up-to-date with her clinical knowledge working as an emergency room/trauma nurse, at a Level 1, Adult/Pediatric trauma and teaching institution in South Florida.